Invited by the French President Macron ….
European leaders.are trying to counter Trump’s efforts to walk away from the President Obama /US Nuclear deal….
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made a surprise visit to the city hosting the Group of Seven summit Sunday, a move that caught President Trump off-guard and added another element of tension to the meeting of world economic leaders.
Zarif’s arrival in Biarritz appeared to be a covert initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron, a senior European official said, and other leaders were not informed ahead of time. There was no immediate plan for the Iranian foreign minister to meet anyone other than French officials, officials said.
President Trump, whose antics have often left other world leaders searching for words, had little to say when asked about the unexpected guest.
“No comment,” Trump told reporters.
Zarif came to Biarritz on the invitation of his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote on Twitter. The aim of the visit was to “continue discussions about recent initiatives between the presidents of Iran and France,” Mousavi said. He said there would be no meetings or negotiations with the U.S. delegation during the trip….
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The foreign minister’s presence in Biarritz — at the invitation of the French president during a summit of world leaders who know Zarif well — was a reminder of how isolated the Trump administration has become in its approach to Iran….
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When leaders discussed Iran over dinner on Saturday, they agreed broadly that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that they should work to de-escalate the ongoing crisis, according to officials who were briefed on the closed-door talks.
Macron pushed Trump to allow Iran to export a limited amount of oil — a nonstarter with the White House….
image…france24.com
Update…
It appears that things ARE going on behind the stage…
Trump has indicated that he is open to a meeting the Iranian President next month at the UN…
Trump has spoken about helping the Iranian Economy in exchange for oil for Allied countries…
One would assume that a nuclear deal would be part of this….
This is French President Macron’s effort NOT the American President , who is NOT into foreign affairs….